A Hedge Fund Applicant Got This Tricky Interview Question Right, But He Still Didn't Get The Job

An applicant tells us that when he interviewed at a large,
prominent hedge fund, the head guy asked him one tricky
question. After he answered, the main guy said, "That's
correct."

But the applicant could tell that something about
the way he answered it was wrong. He
wasn't surprised when he didn't get the job.

The question: "How much money do I have
in my pocket?"

The question came out of left field, says the applicant, who
called it an "impossible situation."

"I was told and had heard of this firm's selectivity when
interviewing candidates, and it seemed like the thorough
process was meant to make sure that no matter what, the
candidate would be a good cultural fit. Part of the cultural
fit was the ability to handle oneself smoothly in an impossible
situation."

"The question meant to assess how a person would react in a
high-pressure situation; even though the actual position was
quite junior, here the candidate was: being interviewed by the
CEO."

It sounds like under pressure from the CEO, tons of things were
going through his mind.

"Think about how you would have responded to that question at a
moment's notice... how impossible it was to tell what this
person might have been thinking. Maybe a few dollars, because
he was modest, despite his position. Maybe a few thousand,
because of his position. Maybe nothing... because carrying
money is beneath one. Maybe the money was a metaphor... maybe
money was irrelevant and he was just judging your facial
expressions... process that in 5 seconds and make a decision
how to respond."

Then he answered.

His answer: $500 +/- $500 ($0 - $1000)

Turns out the question wasn't impossible. He got it
right.

And we think that might be why he didn't nail the interview. He
got the answer right, but had little confidence in it.

The applicant came to the same conclusion:

"[The CEO] was very neutral and deadpan. He said my answer was
correct, but I don't believe I performed that well on the
pressure bit. I was very taken aback by this line of
questioning after having gone through several long sessions of
straightforward, technical interviews with other people there."

"In other interviews, the focus is usually on skills and fit...
this interview tried to assess some kind of ethos and, in my
view, was only of limited utility to the interviewer. He
completely missed everything I could have brought to the table
by focusing on some specific aspect of character -- and perhaps
as an interviewee I was guilty of letting him do so."

Our advice: if a left-field question takes you by surprise, get
over it and answer the question. Then explain how you came to
it. It's your reasoning that's being tested, so focus on coming
up with a good reason and then be confident. If you're thinking
about the interviewer's title or why he's asking the question,
you're not giving your full attention to providing a logical
answer to the question.